Perhaps it is a plant that needs a substantial period of chill to grow with anything close to potential genetic vigor?

Al

If it is a florist chrystanthemum, they do not grow well in the ground. But, if it is a garden mum (you got it from someone who had it growing in their garden), which I think it is because of your description of it, the mums need to be divided (center cut out) from time to time because the center does die. The new growth is on the outside of the plant. If it is alive I would wait until the fall to do this. You can cut it into five or six plants. Also heavy rain damages the blooms down here and they turn brown also they turn brown when it heats up because of the sun and the heat sometimes before they bloom. The only way to solve this is to move it to a well drained location that gets less sun. I would cut the blooms off because they rot on the plants and cause problems. If you do this you should get blooms in the fall, which don't turn brown because it is cooler. Also, they need good drainage. It might be sulking because it is too wet with all the rain we get, but I think this is not likely to be the problem because you had blooms and spindly growth, which sounds normal for a mum that needs to be divided.

I usually get an early summer bloom if I let them go, but I have been told you should let them get about 8" tall and then shear them back by 1/2. Then when they sprout new growth and get back up to 8" to shear them back again. Also, I was told not to shear any more after July 4th, as you would be cutting off your fall blooms. From my understanding, this makes them a lot bushier and compact, and will produce more coverage of blooms come fall.

Gail

You have bud rot. Throw you mum away so you do not infect other mums.

I wouldn't take advice from folks who don't bother to register or include their zone, diagnose illnesses without pics, and give advice in the form of terse orders.

Terse orders are fine if the advice is sound....which this is not.
But she must have had some reason to dig up a 5 year old post to answer.
Linda C